A Child's Milestone - Sushi??

Ky has always wanted to try sushi. I am not opposed to it, I just don't know a lot about it. We do the basic - california roll and crunchy roll, but other than that I didn't want to waste my money on something we just wouldn't like. On one of the last days that the family was here, my sister and I took the girls out for sushi for girl time.

It was nice to have my sister, who eats sushi often, to order for us. She gave some suggestions and let Ky really take the lead. AJ was not interested at all. We ordered a couple of rolls that we knew she would like and a bowl of wonton soup but after that we ordered for the rest of us. We tried yellow tail, red snapper, octopus, scallop and a few different rolls with eel, etc.

The verdict - Ky has decided she loves sushi! I have decided I like it a lot. Some of it is mind over matter, but all-in-all I really enjoyed it. AJ has decided she wants her fish cooked if she eats fish at all! We will definitely have to go back and do it again now that we know basics to order.

Are there any other suggestions for sushi beginners?!

Family vacation 2010 - Myrtle Beach, SC

My whole family came out for vacation this summer. We were celebrating my mom's 60th birthday (May) and my parent's 40th wedding anniversary (July 11th). Originally we had wanted to go on a cruise but with the economy we had to downsize our trip. It actually worked out really well because my family was able to come out to and spend some time with us at our home both before and after the trip to Myrtle Beach.

We had many competitions on the Wii with the family, lots of people in and out of the kitchen, many games of cards and lots of laughter. My sister, parents and I have this thing about laughter. When we have been up too long or confined too long (car rides, etc) we tend to get a little giddy and you have no idea where things are going to go. We have almost been asked to leave restaurants due to our laughter and commotion once we get going. The best part is our husbands have learned to join in the fun. In fact sometimes they make it worse!

We all headed down to Myrtle Beach during the 4th of July weekend. Talk about a mad house. That place is totally crazy during the holiday weekend. It was wall to wall people. Luckily things thinned out once Tuesday rolled around. Mr. A and I had a condo on the 18th floor right on the beach. Talk about amazing views. The best part was the best place to connect to the Internet was on the balcony. That became my favorite place to hang out. I could breathe in the salty air, look at the amazing creation God made and take sometime for myself. It was wonderful.

There was two downsides to the trip - we were all spread out from each other and the weather. Unfortunately we weren't able to be at the same location. My sister and her family were located in N. Myrtle, my parent's were located in Surfside Beach and we were on the southern end of Myrtle Beach proper. We did a lot of driving to see each other but it was well worth the time and effort.

Then there was the weather. Talk about hot! To make it worse, my poor family who is use to So. California weather about melted. They were not use to the heat and humidity. I do have to admit it was even hot for me and I am pretty use to this weather. It was so hot the one day we decided to play at the beach we about died. My poor nephew about burnt the bottom of his little feet because the sand was just so hot! Thank goodness my parents went out and bought umbrellas for us. It would have been absolutely miserable without them.

All in all we had a fabulous vacation. Hours at the lazy river, mini-golf at Mt. Alanticus, fireworks at Barefoot Landing and the best of all hanging out with family. I can't believe how fast the time went. I can't wait until our next family vacation - whenever that may be.

Happy Birthday, Mr. A

Just a quick Happy Birthday wish to one of the best guys around. So thankful that God blessed me with you!

Then Sings my Soul Saturdays - Hillsong - More to See

It has been forever since I did one of these but I am back. This song has been my anthem recently. There is so much more to see if I take my eyes off my situation or my persepective and put them on His.

Family photos 2010

My family came out for a celebration/get-together. When we got the family together it only made since for us to do family pictures. We went to a park really close to our house that has some old farm buildings and great grass areas where we could take photos. My family always does the color coordinated thing when it comes to our pictures. This year we went for jewel tones. I must admit the colors really pop. I love my family.

She's like 15 now

Ok...that was an attempt on my valley girl talk of yesteryear!

My oldest, Ky, just turned 15. When asking what she wanted to do for her birthday she began a list of paintball, airsoft, etc. Things that were just not feasible this year for us to plan and to be totally honest not on my list of fun, but it is not about me.When we realized that none of the previous options were available we began to plan for a party at home with a theme. We began going through various themes when it came to the 80's. As soon as it was suggested, we began to run with it. So many things that were available back then are back in style now. Crazy how fast that cycle happens! We decided the 80's theme would be a perfect idea for her party!

Let me tell you the party rocked! We had so much fun. We did 80's trivia, karaoke and best of all everyone dressed up. We had such a blast! We even set up a sheet that we had splattered paint on and called it a photo op area! I don't think I have laughed like I did that night in a while. It was a perfect event made even better by all those who came. Ky said if she could do it again she would keep the same people who came because they made the night.

I can't believe I am a mom of a 15 year old! However if I could be a mom to any 15 year old in the world, I would have it be her. She is amazing! I love her to bunches and am so proud of her. I can't wait to see what she is going to do in the future. I know it is going to be amazing because....
"Her future is so bright, she's gotta wear shades!"

Memorial weekend was memorable

I am trying to catch up on things with my blog so my apologies to the mass attack of posts to come!

This Sunday was a huge day for our girls and their walk with Christ. Both of my girls were water baptized on Memorial Sunday. Some may wonder why they weren't baptized before this. My answer to this is I wanted the decision to be theirs and I wanted them to have an understanding on why this is so significant to them personally.

The girls have always expressed an interest when they saw those in the church being baptized. For me I know it was the thrill of the moment because it was never mentioned again until the next baptism. However, Ky has really grown in her walk recently and has really been looking for Christ on a deeper level. She had been praying about it and felt like God had been telling her to be baptized. Once she explained this to me and said that she didn't care if her sister was baptized on the same day as her because this was between her and God, I knew that she was ready. Also anytime she doesn't care if her younger sister does the same thing as her, I know her motives are true (coming from a mom of two girls who can't do things the same way or same time if at all possible).

AJ has been hounding me for months about being baptized. I knew in my heart that her desire to be baptized was pure. She has a heart for worship like none other that I know. She wants to honor Christ in everything she does.

The special part of the baptism was Mr. A and myself were able to stand right next to the baptismal and witness it closely. Mr. A was given the option of baptizing the girls himself but declined due to his back. This was the next best thing! I loved being right there with my girls as they made this personal step in their walks of faith.

We celebrated with a fun lunch with friends who adore our girls and were as proud of their decisions as we were! What a great way to celebrate this momentous occasion in their lives.

Ky and AJ, I am so proud of the "women" of God that you are becoming. I pray that you will never know a day without Christ by your sides. We all make decisions that change our lives and the decision you made to be baptized was one of those decisions. Dad and I could not be more proud of you both!